News Archives - Lyme Disease Association

News

New IDSA Guidelines/Failure to Commandeer Patient Chapter/#GivingTues/New Test for Lyme/CO Ticks/Updated COVID Protocol/Canine-Human Lyme Data/Next WG Meeting/LDA Thanks 51 Groups/DoD: Funds Lyme Vaccine

December 1, 2020

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and American College of Rheumatology (ACR) announced on November 30, 2020, new guidelines for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme disease. Among the treatment recommendations, the guidelines recommend oral antibiotic therapy for most patients with Lyme disease.

IDSA Announces New Lyme Disease Guidelines

November 30, 2020

House Lyme Disease Caucus 2020

November 29, 2020

Rep. Chris Smith, Pat Smith, Rich Smith discussing actions to take for House Lyme Caucus

The House Lyme Disease Caucus is a bi-partisan group working together in Congress to take action on Lyme & tick-borne diseases. Under the leadership of Congressmen Chris Smith (NJ) and co-chair Colin Peterson (MN), it has initiated letters and actions to benefit Lyme patients, such as the inclusion of the monies for Lyme & tick-borne […]

11th Hour Attempt to Commandeer & Rewrite Patient Chapter Fails

November 21, 2020

BACKGROUND: The 17th Working Group Meeting turned out to be a referendum on the Patient Chapter of the upcoming 2020 Working Group report. The previous 9 months of the WG had seen that chapter content consistently eroded by comments from just a few WG members which forced shortening of chapter, removal of material, rewriting of […]

New Publication: Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases of Colorado

November 12, 2020

Monica_White_Ixodes_spinipalpis_nymph_WIWA

A review article has just been published by the Journal of Medical Entomology describing the ticks and tick-borne diseases of Colorado which includes tick-host associations, geographic distributions and medical/veterinary importance. In this article, 28 species of endemic ticks in Colorado are described as well as an additional 5 species that are occasionally detected, 13 exotic […]

New Direct Detection Test for Lyme

November 12, 2020

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A new direct test for Lyme disease was announced by Galaxy Diagnostics Inc., the Nanotrap® Urine Test for Lyme Borreliosis. This is a urine-based Lyme antigen test, that Galaxy states “provides the most sensitive direct detection of Borrelia burgdorferi infection at all stages of the disease.” The test is easily administered through collection of urine; and identifies positive cases […]

Eastern VA Medical School (EVMS) Updated COVID19 Protocol

November 10, 2020

The Lyme Disease Association (LDA) is providing you with this updated November 2, 2020, COVID-19 protocol developed by the Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, EVMS. The EVMS Medical continually updates this guideline as new information emerges, primarily to provide new information to physicians. This information is provided by LDA for informational purposes […]

Working Group Fight Continues/Horowitz Treatment Study/PA Tick Infection Rates/MyLymeData/COVID-19 & TBD/LymeX

November 1, 2020

Pat Smith in WG meeting on geographic boundaries preventing Lyme diagnosis: “I lived in the world of patients for 36 years, and I can tell you that they are not getting treated in those states because the government and other entities are telling them there is no disease. They are consistently not being diagnosed and treated, and you think this because there is a positive test they will get treated? No way. That doesn’t happen …

TBDWG 16 – Fight Continues for Patient Relief: Get Patients Diagnosed & Chronic/Persistent Lyme Recognized

October 31, 2020

The 16th meeting of the Federal Tick-Borne Disease Working Group (WG) took place 10.27.20. Public commenters urged the WG to acknowledge and act on the changes needed for patient relief. In review of report chapters, contentious arguments continued, with Pat Smith again advocating passionately on behalf of chronic Lyme patients. (Below items are not in […]

MyLymeData Analysis: Long-Term Antibiotic Treatment Supports CLD Recovery

October 31, 2020

A new study lead by researchers from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) analyzed data from the MyLymeData patient registry. The Registry, with over 13,000 enrolled patients, is a project of the non-profit LymeDisease.org.

The researchers used machine learning techniques and analyzed more than 2,000 patients with chronic Lyme disease (CLD) from the database to identify key features associated with improved patient response. They found that the extended use of antibiotics was an important element of improved health.